


New Dawn

by No_Man97



Category: The Thundermans
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2019-11-14 23:00:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18061832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No_Man97/pseuds/No_Man97
Summary: With the world controlled by evil and everything she loved gone, Phoebe Thunderman lives in hiding. But when she is found by a resistance group, will she be able to step up and bring peace and freedom back or will she be crushed by her past mistakes?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know I'm being awful for starting a new story when I haven't finished my previous one and I'm especially awful for having the first chapter this short, but I just couldn't help it, you know? I've had this idea for some time now.

Phoebe let out a small sigh as she finished putting the final box in the storage room. Today had been a very busy day because of the worldwide festivity. The emotional conflict this day brought for her hurt her more than any physical wound she had sustained or will ever have. For some people this day represented the day the world finally knew peace, for others it marked the day liberty died, but for her was the day that everything she loved turned to ash.

"Kira? Are you done there?" her co-worker called.

Phoebe blinked, as she remembered her alias. "Yeah. What about you?"

"All done, let's close the shop."

As she stood outside waiting for her co-workers she had timed to think about how everything went wrong. In truth, it was all her fault. She had betrayed him, didn't even let him explain himself and turned him away from her, made him the monster that he had become.

"Hey, Kira. Want to come with us to the parade?" one of her co-workers, Andy asked.

"Sorry guys, but I have plans," she said with a fake smile

_I intend to drink myself into oblivion to forget all my pain_

"Come, Kira. You rarely hang out with us," pleaded Andy with a puppy face.

"Just leave her alone Andy. If she doesn't want to come, don't insist," said one of their colleagues.

Perhaps it was because she didn't want to be alone, or perhaps she felt guilty for not spending time with her colleagues outside of work, whatever the reason Phoebe went along with them. The parade was a shameless display of wealth and lavish. After, no expense was spent when you celebrate the one who brought peace to the world. Phoebe regretted attending this. This whole parade was a reminder of her greatest failure. There is also a small chance that she might be recognized or worse that  _he_  might be here.

"This whole parade is a just a slap to the face for us. It's just to remind us who is in charge of us," said Andy, bringing her out of her self-pity. "I hate it, you know. I hate the fact that this tyrant rules over us and most of these people won't do anything about it. Hell, the majority look at him like he's a hero." Phoebe stared at him. In a year of knowing him, she had never seen him so full of hate. "I know who you really are,  _Phoebe_. Don't dare deny it! There are people who need you. With your help, we can bring freedom back."

Phoebe shook her head. "No, you're wrong. Only death awaits those who fight Invictus. In order to live, you must stay away from him."

"That is not living, that's hiding!" fired back Andy.

"No, it's survival."

"There is no point in living if you're miserable."

"Tell that to the dead!" The former hero retorted angrily.

Realizing he had hit a nerve, Andy let out a sigh. "Look, I'm not here to argue with you. I'm here to let you know that a certain blonde wants to see you. You used to be very close."

Phoebe's heart skipped a beat.  _Cherry_.

Suddenly gas began to fill the streets as civilians began to panic and flee and soldiers began to bark orders. "Come, let's go!" ordered Andy as he led her away to an alley where a group of cloaked figure stood.

"It's been a long time, Phoebe," one of them said and took her hood off revealing her best friend.

"Cherry..."

* * *

In Metrobourg at the central palace, a great party was being held in the honor of the man who conquered the world. All the villains that worked under the man had a chance to relax and let loose. The only person who was not having a good time was the man himself who made all of this a reality. Invictus stood on his throne as observed his subjects enjoy themselves. His body was covered from head to toe in black armor, his face covered by his helmet. As he looked at the partygoers he couldn't help the sense of irony that the current situation had. Years ago, he would have wanted to have all this power, to rule the world. Now, he would trade all this away to be with his family again.  _To be with her again_. He was brought back to reality when he felt someone tapping on his helmet. Only one person had the audacity to do that. "What is it Colosso?"

The villain smirked. "Just wanted to make sure you were really here, and you didn't sneak out again like that one time. It wouldn't kill you to mingle with the people."

"What would be the point?" he asked tiredly. Even if he could drink and eat what he wanted, all were tasteless to him. Despite all his power and wealth, there is one thing that neither could grant him.

"Maybe this can lift your mood," Colosso said and handed him a tablet.

What Invictus saw made his heart skip a beat. "Colosso is this...?"

"Yes, it is real and it was taken a few hours ago in New York," Colosso said, watching his best friend stare at the picture displayed on the device that showed Phoebe at the parade, picturing his shocked expression. "Happy Peace Day, Max."


	2. Chapter 2

“It’s so good to see you!” said Cherry as she hugged Phoebe tight.

“It’s good to see you too!" responded the former heroine, returning the hug.

“Sorry to cut this reunion short, but we need to go if we don’t want to get caught in the net,” said Andy.

“You’re right. Let’s go!” order the blonde surprising Phoebe who had never seen her friend so serious before.

They went down the alley to find a parked van waiting for them.

"Hey, guys! Good to see you again Phoebe! Greeted Oyster from the driver's seat.

“Oyster!” said Phoebe happily.

“Step on it, we need to go!” order Cherry.

“On it,” he said and the engine came to life.

“It’s so good to see you again Phoebe! I thought you died 5 years ago,” said Cherry.

“I thought you _died_!”

“Me and my family left Hiddenville the next day after the prom. Where is your family, if you survived, then-“

"They didn't make it Cherry," the formed heroine said in a whisper as her eyes became hooded.

Cherry hugged her best friend. Phoebe welcomed human contact. "I'm so sorry Phoebe,” she said and the car became silent.

Phoebe stared into empty space as the image of Hell that  Hiddenville became appear in her mind’s eye. The flames that consumed everything, the anguish-filled cries of people were begging to be saved.

“Phoebe, I know we can’t bring your family back, but we can stop further tragedies from happening again. We can bring back peace and freedom to the world by stopping Max.”

“ _Invictus_ ,” corrected Phoebe through clenched teeth. Her Max and Invictus were two different people. Because there was no way Max would do any of the things Invictus has done. She believed that with every fiber of her being. She _had_ to.

Cherry on her part understood. “Right, _Invictus_. We need your help, Phoebe, we can't beat him without you."

“Even if I helped you, it wouldn’t make a difference. He has the Thunder family powers and Dark Mayhem's and who knows what other powers he had gathered over the years.”

“We know, and we have a plan. We can really use your help.”

“You will go with your plan with or without me, right?”

Cherry smiled. "You know me too well. So, you in?”

Phoebe sighed tiredly. She knew that she wasn’t ready to face Invictus, she will never be able to face, but one thing she knew for sure: she wouldn't let any more people she loved died. “Alright, I’m in.”

Cherry smiled. “Alright, then. We can discuss the plan when we reach our base.”

As silence reigned once again in the van, Phoebe’s eyes began to close as today’s events finally took their tool.

_In the middle of the ballroom, Max stood before his eyes cold and emotionless. He had just taken Dark Mayhem’s and their family powers. The way he was looking at their family made Phoebe put herself between him and the rest of the family. She wasn’t sure, but she could swear she saw a flash of hurt._

_“When I am finished with the Hero League,” he said, his tone authoritative and detached. “I want you to be alive. To know that I succeeded. Goodbye,” he said and turned to leave_.

Phoebe woke up with a start, her breath coming in pants, breaking into a cold sweat.

“We’re here,” announced Oyster.

Everyone got off and entered the abandoned depot. As soon as Phoebe entered the first she saw was Gideon. Said boy turned at the sound of the door opening and was shocked to his crush. The shock quickly wore off and he rushed to capture her into a bone-crushing bear hug.

“PHOEBE!” he yelled happily.

The former heroine let out a laugh. She had been so alone that she even missed Gideon. “Hi Gideon,” she said, returning the hug as best as she could.  

“Wolfgang!” a voice from behind Gideon said.

“Wolfgang?” said Phoebe as she went to hug the German.

“Hey Phoebe,” a voice and Phoebe looked up and saw a legend: Captain Man.

“Captain Man...”

“You seem alright.”

“It’s thanks to you, you saved me five years ago.”

He shook his head. “You don’t need to thank me. I did what was natural. And I’m sorry about your family.”

“Thank you,” she said softly as she tried to not think about her family. “Where is Kid Danger?”

“He’s around here, helping Charlotte.”

“Call them. We need to talk strategy,” ordered Cherry.

_5 minutes later_

“Alright, let’s start,” said Cherry. “Our spy informed us that Invictus will go to visit the ruins of Hiddenville to pay his respects for the dead. That’s when we’ll ambush him and try to capture him."

“Capture him? We should kill him!” said Andy with venom.

Cherry shook her head. “We’re freedom fighters, not assassins.”

“Not that much of a difference. And that is no reason to spare that monster!” he seethed and Phoebe nearly flinched.

“We’ll _try_ to capture him,” said Cherry forcefully. “We’ll kill only if we have no choice. Grab your gear, we leave tomorrow at dawn.”

Once the meeting was adjourned, Cherry came and lead her to a locker. “I managed to save this,” she said and opened the door, revealing her old superhero costume. “I think it still fits.”

Phoebe was overcome with a sense of nostalgia. She remembered all the happy moments: hanging out with her friends and family, school, training. She even missed Max’s pranks and their bickering. She was happy that it still fits. Afterward, she went to bed, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t sleep. In one week she would see Max again after all this time. But it wouldn’t be her Max, it would be someone else. She shook her head. It shouldn’t be so hard. Max and Invictus are two different people. Max may have acted like a jerk, but he had a good heart in the end, Invictus is a monster. She could do this. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but feel apprehension. In the end, exhaustion won and she was finally asleep.

_10 days later_

They arrived at the ruined city and it took Phoebe all her willpower not to break down and cry. After reassuring Cherry and the team she would be fine she got into position. According to the spy Cherry had in Metroburg, Invictus would teleport here in a short while with his personal guards and walk around the abandoned city, silently paying his respects. When they reach the Thunderman family household they would ambush Invictus and capture him. From her hiding spot she couldn’t see anything, so she had to rely on her hearing. Sure enough, heavy footsteps were heard coming her way.

“ _Now Phoebe_!” said Cherry and jumping from the spot, she attacked the closest guard. Having been caught off guard, the bodyguard was the first to be knocked out. She attacked the second, who blocked her punch, but she quickly dropped down and swept his feet. The third attacked her using his electric staff. It hurt, but she shrugged it off and pushed him with her telekinesis. The other one got up and started to attack her, she jumped back and used her telekinesis to throw him into his friends and used her freeze breath on them.

“Impressive,” said cold, deep voice said bringing her attention back to the lone figure in polished black armor, with a helmet covering his face, with a black cape that hung on his broad shoulders. “It’s been a long time, Pheebs.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. If you have any feedback don't hesitate to leave a comment. Cheers!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is short, but I promise that the next one will be longer.

Phoebe glared at the man in black armor, channeling all her hatred and suffering onto him. " _Invictus_ ," she seethed.

Despite being surrounded by half a dozen people pointing weapons on him, Invictus sole focus was on the woman in front of him "There is no need to be so formal Phoebe. You and I go way back," he said condescendingly

"No, we don't. You're not Max! He would never do the things you do!"

"I take it that's your coping mechanism?" he asked after a moment. "That me and Max Thunderman are two different persons? It's funny you say that Max would never do what I did, but there was a time when you believed that he was capable of becoming a villain," he said and Phoebe's eyes went wide in horror at what he was insinuating. "That day when you took Max's powers and locked him away you believed that he was evil, just like me."

Phoebe was stunned into silence. That gave Cherry the chance to get Invictus attention to her. "That's enough! Invictus if you surrender you'll get a fair trial."

Invictus looked at the freedom fighter. "Cherry, I thank you for reuniting me with my sister. I'm feeling generous today so if you leave now, you'll get to keep your life."

Before either party could say anything, Phoebe let out an anguished battle cry and charged at Invictus, swinging wildly at the villain. Invictus dodged with ease all her swings and managed to catch the staff. The former hero tried to get her weapon back, but she couldn't even move the staff. With a flick of his wrist, Invictus disarmed Phoebe like she was a child. It was at that moment that Phoebe truly comprehended the difference between them.

"Now!" yelled Cherry and a squad of freedom fighters jumped out and threw an electrified net.

The villain screamed in pain before ripping it apart with his telekinesis. He turned to the squad and unleashed his lightning on them, turning them to ash. Cherry cursed and she and her friends turned to fire on Invictus, but he disarmed them with his telekinesis. He pulled a sword and step forward to cut down his old friends, but Phoebe pushed them away with her telekinesis just in time. Quickly, she froze him with her breath. However, the freedom couldn't relax as the ice on Invictus thwarted. All of them froze in fear as the man in black armor march towards them.

"Invictus!" yelled a voice that made the villain freeze.

Invictus turned and glared. "Captain Man," he seethed with venom. Suddenly he forgot about the other freedom fighters. "Last time I was still inexperienced, but now I'm a master. I role the world! And I will bury you!"

"Only a master of evil, Invictus. And I'm about to dethrone you."

"Bring it!"

Before Invictus could do anything a dart came flying towards his chest, shocking him. The captain didn't waste time and punched him in the face. He felt pain from his hand for a second, before it disappeared. "Don't punch him, kid. The armor is strong," he instructed before he got sent flying by Invictus's punch. Another dart shocked him again before Kid Danger fired his rocket launcher, hitting the villain in the dead center, sending him flying in the ruins of a house.

"Did I got him?" asked Kid Danger.

Suddenly the rubble was lifted in the air, revealing a perfectly fine Invictus. The rubble rained down on Captain Man and Kid Danger, trapping them.

"I will deal with you later," he growled before stopping a dart with his force field. The HUD in his helmet already calculated the trajectory from which it was fired. Using his super speed he went and came back in less than 2 seconds, his sword drenched in blood.

The freedom fighters grew desperate and fired their flamethrowers at the black armored man, but it was for naught as he stopped the flames with his telekinesis. Phoebe understood that there was no way they could beat Invictus. He is truly invincible. The only reason he didn't push the flames back to his opponents was because she was in the way. This gave her an idea.

The flames went out and she saw her chance. "Stop!" she yelled. "I'll go with you."

"Phoebe," Cherry began.

The former hero ignored her. "I'll go with you if you let my friends leave."

"Do you swear not to disobey me?"

"Yes."

"Very well," he said and used his telekinesis to pull her close to him. He turned towards the freedom fighters. "You can leave now, but if I ever see you again, I'll kill you," he said before he and Phoebe teleported away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. If you have any feedback leave a review or just PM me


	4. Chapter 4

Phoebe found herself in what she assumed was an infirmary based on the equipment. An elderly man came into view.

"Lord Invictus," he greeted.

"Dr. Jurgen. I want to perform a regular check on her. I'll wait outside," he motioned towards her.

"Yes, my lord."

"So, how did you end up working for Invictus?" asked Phoebe trying to get some information.

"I was handpicked for my skills. I patch up captured people."

"Do you know where they are being held?"

"No. It's best not to ask questions, trust me. Now I have to take some blood for testing then you're free to go."

Once the doctor was done, Phoebe exited the room and found Invictus outside leaning against the wall.

"Follow me," he ordered

As they walked through the base, she noted how everyone saluted Invictus, but he ignored them. They approached an elevator where Dr. Colosso was waiting.

"Invictus. Long time no see, Phoebe," he greeted with a friendly smile.

"Colosso," she seethed. Besides herself, she also blamed Colosso for Max's downfall. After all, the doctor guided Max towards villainy.

He chuckled. "Always nice to see you," he said and turned towards Invictus. "When you're done I want to talk to you."

Invictus nodded and let Phoebe inside the elevator. As it rode towards the penthouse, she got a birds view of her location. She was in Washington DC, more specifically in the place where the White House used to be. Once they exited the elevator they took a few turns and found themselves in front of a room guarded by two of Invictus's elite guards.

"This is your room. If you need anything ask them," he said and nodded towards the guards. "They'll escort you to dinner, which is mandatory."

"Are they supposed to keep me from escaping?"

"No. You can leave if you want. Note that if you leave I'll hunt down Cherry and her friends and kill them and I'll make you watch," he said and Phoebe bleached.

Without saying a word, Invictus turned and left, leaving Phoebe alone. She looked around the room. A king size bed, a desk, a drawer, a dresser and a bathroom with a beautiful view of the city. She sat down on the bed and let out a tired sigh. She was trapped in the enemy's base with no idea why she was here. For now, all she had to do is to stay alive for now.

Colosso and Invictus stood in the throne room.

"So now that she's here what will you do?" the doctor asked.

"I was hoping that with time she would join me. We share a bond after all."

"She shares that bond with Max, not Invictus," Colosso pointed out.

Invictus said nothing.

"Relax buddy. All you have to do is just be yourself again. Now, here's the report on the insurgency in Central Asia for tomorrow's meeting. See you at dinner."

Dinner was tense. Phoebe glared daggers at Colosso, while the doctor pretended not to notice and Invictus stood there eating his food in silence. When they sat down, the former hero thought that Invictus would remove his helm, but the helm stayed on with only his mouth visible.

"So, Phoebe what have you been up to these last few years?" asked Colosso.

"Hiding," came the clipped answer.

"Yeah, that's never fun."

Phoebe just glared at the doctor through dinner. When she was done she left without a word.

"Good luck buddy," Colosso said with a laugh before leaving.

* * *

" _You," growled Max. His eyes turned from their chocolate brown to blood red. Pure anger rolled off of him. "You brought him here to kill me,"_

_Phoebe never got a chance to answer as an invisible hand grabbed her throat. She tried to speak, but she couldn't. All she could do was claw uselessly at her throat._

" _ **You betrayed me!"**_

* * *

The next morning Phoebe woke up gasping for breath. She took a few calming breaths before starting her morning routine. Somebody knocked on the door, Phoebe opened and saw a guard holding a tray of food.

"Lord Invictus would not be having breakfast and he will be a little late for lunch," he said handing her the tray.

"Oh, ok. Why?"

"I do not know why he skips breakfast. What I do know is that he has a meeting around noon."

"I see. Can you get me to the meeting?" she asked trying to test her freedom in this gilded cage.

The guard exchanged a look with his partner before nodding. When the time came the guard guided her to the meeting room on the ground level. She didn't recognize anyone except Colosso and Invictus.

When Phoebe entered that door Invictus was speechless. He never thought she would ever attend these meeting. He would discover the reason for her presence here later, for now, he would focus on the meeting.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Invictus began. "The reason for this meeting is to deal with the insurgency in Central Asia. General Koruko I understand that you've been dealing with them for the past year?"

"Yes, lord Invictus," responded a middle-aged man. "They are lead by the former Chinese Military Minister, Xiang Li. They use guerilla tactics to ambush patrols and raid weapon depots. We do not know their end goal yet. What we do know is that they based on the following locations," he said and turned on the projection showing a map of Central Asia with several circled locations. "What I suggest we do is airstrike those locations."

"What?! You can do that!" Phoebe exclaimed. "There are civs there."

Everyone stared at her for a moment before the General continued. "We can cover up the bombings or blame them on the insurgents."

"You can do this!" Phoebe pleaded with Invictus who kept quiet.

"I don't agree with the tactic, General. These Insurgents are like rats, they make hiding places that are hard to reach. While using poison can kill there is also a risk that they'll escape. However, the best way to catch rats is to lay a trap. A good trap for rats is food. The fact that you didn't think of this is quite disappointing, General."

"I-I didn't want to place you into unnecessary danger, my lord," stuttered the General.

"Me? I was talking about yourself. You're a General in my army. You hold a lot of weight. Or  _held_."

"W-What do you mean?"

"You're relieved of your rank," he said and prepared to kill the now former General when he saw Colosso come into his peripheral view, shaking his head. Invictus then looked at Phoebe, who looked at him apprehensively.

"My lord, please-"

"This is your first mistake, isn't it General Koruko?"

"Y-yes, my lord," said the middle-aged man as he tried to stop himself from shaking. He had heard what happened to people who got fired by Invictus.

"Everyone is entitled to one mistake, but just one is that clear?"

"Y-yes. Thank you, my lord," the man said, close to tears. Invictus looked at back to Phoebe who calmed down visibly. Perhaps Colosso had a point

"Regarding our current problem, I will handle it personally," he said, ignoring their shocked faces. "Meeting adjourned."

Invictus got up, grabbed Phoebe and left the room with Colosso in tow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. If you have any feedback leave a comment.


	5. Chapter 5

Colosso, Invictus, and Phoebe ate lunch together.

"What you said at the meeting, about you taking care of it..." Phoebe began.

"I meant it, yes. Tomorrow I'll leave for Central Asia and deal with those rats," said Invictus.

"Alone?" asked Colosso casually.

"I'll take some soldiers with me to spend up to the process. It shouldn't take more than 2-3 hours."

"When are you going to leave?" she asked.

"Why do you ask? Are you going to miss him?"

Phoebe shot Colosso a filthy look. The plan she had in mind was incomplete, but her main objective is to escape and seek help for the insurgency.

"Early before breakfast," came the curt reply.

She nodded. "Those people in the meeting, did you handpicked them or they joined you?" she asked, trying to change the subject and avoid suspicion.

"Some of them are from my own army, but most joined during my campaign against the UN."

The next day, she tricked the guards into going to the infirmary and bring her some medicine for her 'lady problems'. When they left she quickly sneaked out and reached the ground level and quickly made her way towards the hangar. The hard part was in getting on the ship without being seen. Then she saw the supplies being stored in the cargo hold. With some difficulty, she managed to enter the aircraft without being spotted. The ride was far from comfortable but she finally reached her destination: a small town in Kazakhstan. She exited the cargo hold and quickly took cover behind a small house. She watched the soldiers searched every house, but she didn't see Invictus.

_Now how do I find the insurgency?_

Suddenly a gunshot was heard a soldier dropped dead. The others took cover when suddenly the rebels came out of their hiding places. A rebel appeared to her left and pointed his rifle at her.

"No! Wait! I'm not one of them!" she said quickly as she waved her arms him, but to no avail.

The rebel squeezed the trigger and Phoebe closed her eyes. She heard the bullets hit, but instead of the sound of bullets hitting flesh, she heard the sound of bullets hitting metal. Opening her eyes she saw Invictus's black cape. The rebel gasped and before he could even consider running, Invictus threw a plasma ball at him, killing him.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her.

"N-no."

"Good. What the hell were you thinking into sneaking to  _a warzone_?!" asked Invictus and for a second Phoebe swore she saw Max underneath that black armor.

Before they could do anything, the aircraft that carried them here exploded in a giant fireball. Invictus quickly created a barrier to protect himself and Phoebe from the blast. He looked at his soldiers who were holding their ground but he knew they would die eventually since they are surrounded.

"I don't have time to drop you off at the base, so I need you to do as I say and stay behind me at all times. These people don't know who you are. They think you are with me and since you don't speak their language to explain to them the situation, they won't hesitate to kill you. Do you understand?"

Phoebe nodded and Invictus marched forward. He threw a plasma ball at the sniper and quickly gather the rebels attention. One fired a rocket at him, but he caught it with telekinesis and threw at a group of rebels. His soldiers took advantage of the distracted insurgents and quickly mowed them down. Phoebe covers her mouth at the carnage, trying her best not to vomit.

"Spread out. Kill any rebels you see and those who get in your way," order Invictus before dragging Phoebe along.

The insurgents threw everything they got at Invictus, however, they couldn't even slow him down as he cut them down one by one. Invictus and Phoebe reached the center of the town where a lone teenage girl stood there. The girl's dead gaze sent shivers down Phoebe's spine.

"Find cover," he ordered Phoebe before turning towards the girl. "You are super, aren't you?"

"You are correct Max Thunderman," a voice said as a man came into view. "Or do you prefer Invictus?"

"Xiang Li," he said and looked between the rebel leader and the girl. "I see a resemblance between you too. Is she your daughter?" he asked and Li nodded. "I have read about you, and you and your fine are normal human beings."

"That is true. Mei was never born with powers, but she got them in order to fight you."

"I've heard that you can gain powers through exposure to certain chemicals and drug therapy, however, most subjects don't survive. Those that do suffer side effects from the procedures."

Phoebe gasped.  _That explains the dead gaze_. "How could you do that to your own daughter?!"

The former Chinese Minister turned his gaze on her. "In order to change the world, one must be willing to make great sacrifices. My daughter understood this as well and so does Invictus."

Invictus nodded. "Shame that the only thing you managed to do was getting your daughter killed," he said before teleporting behind Mei.

He brought his sword down, but just as the blade was about to touch the skin it was stopped, stunning Invictus and Phoebe. Then Invictus was pushed back by the same invisible force. He got up only to be smashed on the ground, all the while Mei was starring at the man in black armor emotionlessly. Invictus was raised in mid-air and felt how his arms and legs were being pulled with great force. He quickly teleported back to his original position, panting.

_Telekinesis, but how did she know where I was going to strike? Was I predictable or..._

Invictus charged at the girl and at the last moment he changed his trajectory towards her father. As he was about to cut the man down he felt the same force grabbing him from behind and slammed him on the ground again, before hitting him with all it's might in the abdomen, creating a small shockwave.

_Okay, so she has telekinesis and can also read minds. The armor's shock absorbers took most of the damage but it still hurt._

Meanwhile, Phoebe couldn't believe the beating Invictus was getting and she was torn between cheering for Mei or helping Invictus. Logically, she knew that if Mei defeated Invictus, freedom can be restored, but every time Invictus got to hit her heart would ache.

"Not bad," Invictus said as he got up. "It's been quite a long time since someone could actually pose a threat to me. However, there is a reason why I'm the most powerful being on the planet," he said before some clicking sounds were heard and the armor opened up, revealing the man underneath.

Phoebe's heart leaped into her throat when she saw him. He looked like Max, but at the same time, it wasn't him. His skin was pale like it hasn't been touched by the sun in years. His baby-like face that she used to tease was no littered with scars and his chocolate brown eyes that reflected mischief were blood red filled with anger.

"It seems intelligence is not one of your strongest points. Discarding that armor will be your undoing," said Xiang.

Max smirked smugly before snapping. The armor came to life and attacked Mei. The girl's eyes widened in fear as she realized that she can read its mind. Her father realized this too, but before he could do anything Max teleported in front of him and grabbed him by the throat. "How did you know I would be here?"

Despite his predicament, the former Minister smirked. "Tell me,  _Lord_  Invictus, how much do you trust your men?"

Max narrowed his eyes, his suspicions confirmed. " _Who_?!" he growled.

"I will not say another word."

"I have ways of making you talk," Max said before headbutting the rebel leader, knocking him out.

He turned and saw that his armor was beating Mei to a pulp.

"Max, stop it! The girl will die!" Phobe called. Max turned to her with an emotionless expression on his face. "Max! Please!" she pleaded.

Max sighed and snapped his fingers. The armor stopped as Mei slipped into unconsciousness. Phoebe approached the wounded girl. "Don't!" Max said as he put his armor on, turning into Invictus. "She's an enemy and she might wake up."

A minute later soldiers finally appeared. One approached Invictus and saluted. "Almost all insurgents were killed, a couple of them managed to escape in a vehicle."

"Good work. What about the civilians?"

"All of them ran away."

Invictus nodded. "Secure those two," he ordered, pointing at Xiang and his daughter. "The girl is a super, tread carefully. And call a carrier."

"Yes, sir!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. If you have any feedback leave a comment


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I would like to thank you all for reading my story. Means a lot to me. I just wanted to let you know that I won't be posting anything for a while because I am going on a trip. I should return in two weeks, maybe a little early.

To say that Invictus was angry would be a misunderstanding. While he successfully dealt with the insurgency in Central Asia, however during the flight back to base Xiang Li managed to swallow the cyanide pill he had hidden. Only Mei remained, but he doubted she had any real info about the traitor in his ranks. He had decided to keep the details of betrayal from his war council, in order to avoid letting the traitor know he was onto him or her. However, the traitor issue is not what bothers him the most. Phoebe sneaking out of the base and nearly getting killed was enough to make him go berserk. Another issue that is frustrating is that he didn't know how to deal with her. He had promised her that he will kill all her friends should she escape, but he couldn't do that if he wanted her by his side. The fight with Mei was exhausting and the fact that he was forced to leave his armor didn't help at all. At this point, he could barely stand, but he willed himself not to fall. He dragged Phoebe back to her room and he would have killed her two guards for letting her out of their sight if not for her begging. After locking her into her room he teleported in his room and managed to call Colosso before passing him out.

* * *

" _So are you going to sulk in this dark room, not showering and eating only pizza for the rest of your life?" she asked as she came down the stairs._

" _Just leave me," he rasped._

" _Come on Max! It's been two weeks since Alison broke up with you. You can't spend the rest of your life in your room," she said as she sat down next to him near his bed. Colosso was sleeping in his cage._

" _I can try..."_

" _Look I know how it feels to be dumped by the person you love and you know what I'm talking about."_

_He knew. She loved and probably still cares about Link and that jerk dumped her the second he got the chance to play the hero.  
_

" _You're right," he said, got up and walked to his workbench. "I've mopped long enough. I've put my goal on hold for too long."_

" _Your goal?" she asked as she got up too._

" _You know, conquering the world," he said with a smirk._

_Phoebe frowned. "You know, if you pursue that goal, you'll have to go through me and the rest of the family."_

_Max turned away from her and frowned. He never fully thought about it. He doesn't want to hurt his family, but what could he do? Be a hero? Not interested_

" _Why wouldn't you become a hero? You're not a bad person," she said and took a step forward.  
_

_He turned to her. "Because I don't want to take orders from anyone, I don't sacrifice the things I love or myself for others and I don't want to have my heart broken again."_

" _Max, being a hero is not about any of those things. It's about doing the right thing."_

" _Then you know that's not my strongest suit," he said as he took a challenging step towards her, daring her to disagree with him._

_She clenched her fists. He had a point, but..."That may be true, but I know there is good in you. Saving that plant is just one of the many examples of your kindness."_

_He glared, hard. How dare she bring that up?! He went past her and climbed into the bed. "Go away! I want to sleep," he said with his back to her.  
_

_She sighed and left._

* * *

Max woke up to bright light, forcing him to let out a groan as he closed his eyes again.

"You're awake. That's good," said Colosso.

"How long was I out?" he asked as he opened his eyes again.

"A couple of hours. You woke up just in time for your treatments. What happened out there? This is the first time in a long time you end up stuck in bed."

With a sigh, Max tells Colosso everything. "What am I going to do Colosso?" he asked tiredly.

"You should try to find who created the drugs and chemical substances that gave that girl her powers."

"Not that. I mean with Phoebe. She tried to escape and I need to punish her in some way."

"Why do you need to punish her? I know she can be a brat, but she isn't a child or one of your subordinates."

"If I don't she'll only continue to undermine me and I can't have others seeing this. They'll perceive it as a weakness."

"Two things; one: she  _is_  your weakness whether you acknowledge it or not, two: who says the others have to see that you are soft with her. As for finding a way to keep her from escaping again I'm sure you'll think of something. Now get some rest," he said as he closed the lights and left the room.

Phoebe was escorted towards the dining room, ignoring the guards glares at the back of her skull. She felt regret for them almost being killed by Invictus, but she cannot be blamed for the man's actions. Speaking of Invictus, she didn't he would allow her to leave her room again so soon. Maybe he wanted to punish her. That thought made her blood turn to ice. The door to the dining room opened and before, looking as smug as ever was Dr. Colosso.

"Phoebe, my dear, so glad you could join me," he said in a fake friendly manner. He nodded at the guards who left the room. "Max won't be joining us tonight. The fight with that girl took more out of him than expected," he said and Phoebe looked worried. "You don't need to worry. He is fine. He just needs some rest and proper treatments."

"Treatments?"

"Yes. He had them since Hiddenville was bombarded. If you recall, Max and Captain Man were fighting in Hiddenville when it was bombed. Captain Man got out unscathed thanks to his power, Max, however, was not so lucky. He had to undergo extensive surgery for almost a week, then treatments. He couldn't leave the ICU for a month."

Phoebe was pale. "I had no idea," she whispered.

"Of course you didn't. You were hidden away. But I digress. The reason I called you here is to talk about your influence on Max."

"My influence on Max?"

"Quite. I don't know if you notice, but you have an effect on him. Since you arrived he hadn't killed any staff for failure and he even showed mercy to an enemy," he said and Phoebe thought about what he said and realized he was right. "What you do with this information is up to you and you'll be the one who will face the consequences of your choice."

Suddenly the door opened and a young man with curly brown hair and squared glasses entered. "Dad!" he said happily before noticing Phoebe.

Colosso smiled. "Son, you're back!" he said before hugging the young man. "Son, this is Deewbe. Deewbe, this is my son, Balfour."

Balfour extended his hand and smiled charmingly. "Nice to meet you."

Phoebe took the hand extended to her and shook, but she had a general coldness to her.

"Dweebe, my son and I have some catching up to do. And you have to spend the rest of the night alone, thinking about your actions," he said and signaled the guards to take her away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you have any feedback don't forget to leave a comment.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Phoebe's breakfast was brought in her room like usual.

“You have an hour to eat and dress. Lord Invictus would like to take you somewhere,” the guard informed her.

“Where is he taking me?”

“I don’t know,” he said before leaving.

Exactly an hour later, Invictus entered her room and beckoned her to follow him.

As they walked, Phoebe studied him. He walked with his back straight and there was no limp in his body but his posture was rigid. She couldn’t the worry in her voice. “I have heard that you were injured in the battle with Mei.”

He looked, surprised by her worry. This was the first time since they reunited that she showed concern for him. “Colosso overreacts, I’m fine.”

She nodded, accepting his reassurance. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

They arrive at a dojo where an Asian woman in green jumpsuit performed several karate techniques in front of several men and women. Noticing them, the woman signals her class to take a break and approached them and bowed to him. “Lord Invictus,”

“Ash. I want you to train Phoebe. Her martial arts are rusty.”

“What? Why?” questioned Phoebe.

“If you intend to follow me into battle, I want you to not be defenseless,” he said and then turn to Ash. “She’s in your hands now.”

Ash nodded and gave a small bow. He teleported out of the room and Ash dismissed her class, only the two women remained. After Ash was finished with her, Phoebe’s whole body ached. Even after training with her dad she was never this sore. When he reached her room she collapsed on her bed and napped.

* * *

 

“Your report Dr. Kafka,” Invictus ordered.

Dr. Kafka was a slightly hunched middle-age man with graying short hair, with a pair of round glasses. “I have successfully isolated the strange components in the girl’s blood. These substances activate the chromosome responsible for the development of superpowers however, they seem to affect the frontal lobe of the brain, mostly the part that is responsible for personality and behavior," the man explained with a satisfied smirk.

“Can you tell me what they contain?”

“No, the amount in the blood samples we extracted is too low. We would need more blood. However, the amount of blood could be fatal.”

Invictus turned his head to look through the glass at the girl strapped to a chair with multiple tubes stuck in her body. “Do it,” he ordered before leaving.

* * *

 

At dinner, Balfour and Colosso chatted livelily, his son telling him about Paris and his work there, with Invictus occasionally interjecting and inquiring about something. She didn’t understand what kind of science they talked about but she preferred to be ignored.

“Excuse me, but I still don’t know who you are,” Balfour asked her.

“I am...I was...” she stammered unsure.

“She’s Max’s sister,” said Colosso as he took another bite of his food.

“Ah, I see. My condolences for your loss.”

Phoebe said nothing, just stared at her food, trying to keep her emotions in check. Once dinner was over Invictus insisted that he would escort her to her room himself.

“I’m sorry about Balfour. He can be an idiot sometimes,” he said as they walked.

“It’s fine,” she said in a low voice.

They arrived at her room. “Here,” he said and handed her an aspirin. “I know Ash can be rough.”

“Thanks,” she said sincerely. “How do you know her?”

He chuckled. “ She was hired to kill me, but I managed to beat her, just barely. I realized that I couldn’t rely on my powers alone.”

Phoebe nodded and a moment of awkward silence settled between them as neither knew what to say.

"Well, goodnight," he said and turned to leave.

She didn’t know what made her call out to him. “Max. Are you still there?”

He stopped but didn't turn. Instead, he kept walking forward.

“Report, Dr. Kafka,” ordered Invictus.

“Yes, my lord. We have successfully isolated the compounds found in the girl’s blood. They are also found in several drugs of Japanese origin,” the doctor said and handed him a clipboard with more information.

“I see,” he said. “And what about the girl?”

“The girl died,” the doctor said simply as if talking about the weather.

Invictus said nothing as he looked at the clipboard. “Good work,” he said and turned to leave.

“Excuse me, my lord. But what should I do with the girl’s corpse.”

“Whatever you want,” he said without turning.

The doctor smiled as his eyes gleamed like a child on Christmas.

Invictus entered the dark room. They might be invisible to anyone else, but he could see them as if they were in broad daylight.

“There is a traitor in my empire. The only lead we have is that he or she have helped fabricate the drugs that gave people superpowers,” he said and threw the clipboard on the table. The closest one picket it up, but said nothing. “I want the traitor brought back alive.”

The men hidden in the shadows nodded once and disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. If you have any feedback leave a comment or PM me.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. If you have any feedback don't hesitate to leave a comment. Cheers!


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